Make immunisation priority - GCNH entreats NDC, NPP
The Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health (GCNH) has entreated the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) to attach great importance to immunisation and prioritise it in their manifestos.
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It said the two major political parties must put immunisation in a special place in their budget plans for implementation after the 2024 general election, to save children from preventable diseases and save colossal sums of money for the nation.
The National Chairman of the GCNH, Bright Amissah-Nyarko, made the remarks at the coalition’s just-ended annual Health Forum and General Meeting at Ho.
The event was on the theme “Sustaining the gains of immunisation through domestic funding mechanism – the way to go”.
The objective was to bring together civil society organisations in health and key stakeholders to champion a common course of advocating for actionable interventions to mitigate the impact of future pandemics in the country.
Disease burden
Mr Amissah-Nyarko said the country was going through challenging times in a post-pandemic era, with a high burden of diseases among families and communities.
“Cases of HIV and AIDS, TB, teenage pregnancy and substance abuse among the youth are rising and the trend is scary,” he noted.
A section of the participants in the forum
Mr Amissah-Nyarko pointed out that immunisations against preventable diseases had, since 1978, made tremendous gains for the country, not only in the health sector but the entire economy, saving millions of lives from disabilities and deaths.
That, he said, highlighted the need for the government and for political parties to support the Ministry of Health with adequate funds for such activities, and for that matter, the need for political parties to be highly concerned about immunisations.
The Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, said the theme was timely and relevant.
“Administering vaccines is capable of preventing between two and three million child deaths and 60,000 adult deaths globally each year,” he said.
Dr Letsa, who is a seasoned medical practitioner, said investment in immunisation resulted in direct health benefits that could contribute to economic development, and help to avoid treatment costs that confronted households across Africa.